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Great Job. Excellent control throughout and dynamics. You really nailed that one!

I read your other thread on the Piano Teachers Forum. I didn't respond since I'm not a piano teacher. However, I can heavily relate to your experiences. My last piano teacher was nearly identical to how you described yours: very agreeable and nice, yet not able to teach any technique or theory or anything useful for my piano abilities. About 6 months ago I decided it was enough, and quit taking lessons from her. I decided I would finish Book 2 on my own then seek a qualified instructor. That is exactly what I did, and I had my first meeting with her yesterday. The difference was profound: with the simple (and free) introduction meeting she pointed out so many things and gave so much advice on technique and theory that I was baffled, but baffled in a great way.

I would first speak with your instructor candidly about your concerns and see if a resolution can be successfully met. If not, Use the MTNA's website and look for a registered piano teacher there. Many are university faculty and may not "take on" beginner piano students, but I guarantee they will know of great piano teachers in your area and will help you establish yourself with one.

Thanks Waltz for both the compliment and the advice. I will definitely have a frank conversation about my progress with her. If it doesn't work out, I will try the MTNA's website to find a new teacher.

I'm spending too much time on Solace! Even though I got the song down fairly well, I keep making one or another mistake whenever I start recording it! It's very frustrating...I know I have the tempo, the detached left hand, everything correct, but something happens every time I start recording, especially when I get to the ending. If I have to do a live recital, I will definitely mess up! I have to quit it now and move over to La Bamba. Sheesh.

Music_in_Me: I have the very same issue with the song I'm trying to record. I think I've tried at least 50 times to record it and mess up one thing or another in it. Hitting wrong notes on sections I normally do fine on; or messing up something I thought I had fixed, or who knows. It's so frustrating!

I don't know how people can play stuff perfectly for their videos. I'd really like to get a good recording of this song. I try to play it slowly, or the different sections; but then I just mess up again when I try the whole song. I don't think I've played the whole thing perfectly in a looooooooooong time.

What do you do when this happens? Just move on? Do you come back to it later? Advice anyone? Thanks

Music_in_Me: I have the very same issue with the song I'm trying to record. I think I've tried at least 50 times to record it and mess up one thing or another in it. Hitting wrong notes on sections I normally do fine on; or messing up something I thought I had fixed, or who knows. It's so frustrating!

I don't know how people can play stuff perfectly for their videos. I'd really like to get a good recording of this song. I try to play it slowly, or the different sections; but then I just mess up again when I try the whole song. I don't think I've played the whole thing perfectly in a looooooooooong time.

What do you do when this happens? Just move on? Do you come back to it later? Advice anyone? Thanks

Waltz, what do you mean by sight reading being part of your routine? Most of the songs I play, I do with my eyes glued to the page. If I don't look I get lost, unless I have already memorized the song. Perfect sight reading, to me, is when one is able to play a song for the first time by just reading the notes on spot. This might be doable for easy songs, but I can't see how anyone can do it for, say, most of Book 2 pieces, but I have heard that some people actually can do it.

Anyway, I have a link to some web site that has a java applet that you can run to practice note reading, if you need one, let me know, I'll look it up.

Chopin said that "every difficulty slurred over will become a ghost to haunt you later".

If you "slur over" too many difficulties in too many pieces you'll end up with a piano full of ghosts.

Difficult sections in pieces need to be mastered - sooner or later. Do the best you can now. If you get frustrated let it rest awhile and move on. But - you must come back. 4 weeks or 4 months later - it doesn't matter. Continue hammering away at the sections again, and again, and once again. Even if still not perfect you've instilled the proper habit and mindset. Reinforce this constantly. Refuse to accept "good enough".

Red Dot Fever cure: don't even turn the red dot on until you can play a piece to your complete satisfaction all the way thru - without the red dot - a number of times. Otherwise you're simply recording a practice session. Nothing wrong with that, but that's not what you want here. And if the recording process makes you nervous, then actually do routinely record all of your practice sessions - you just never know what you might capture.

Regards, JF

Edit for spelling.

Edited by John Frank (08/13/0908:00 PM)

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Every difficulty slurred over will be a ghost to disturb your repose later on. Frederic Chopin

By sight reading I mean: playing a piece you've never before seen, beginning to end, to the best of your ability, without stopping, and only playing it that one time and then moving on to the next piece. The point is to improve your direct note reading-hand coordination ability.

Of course, this absolutely cannot be performed on pieces at your level; it must be done on pieces well below your level. My new teacher let me borrow some simple beginner piano books to use; but it still is extremely, extremely difficult for me. That is one skill I really need to improve.

BTW, I am interested to hear everyone on Book 2's thoughts on sight reading and if/how they do it!

I am wrapping up the level one book and any day now will be joining you guys in this thread, but I have a question that relates to book one.

I am about to start Amazing Grace and it looks a bit daunting. Seems like fingers go all over the place. My question is for anyone who might recall working on the piece; how difficult was it, how long did it take to get a decent rendition, any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, and hope to see you all soon.

Waltz. My teacher just started me on a sight reading program. I bought a book, its an alfreds supplement, called Sight Reading. There are several. My teacher picked level 2b for me. Its written for kids but I got over that. It teaches you to reconize the notes, intervals and rythyms by doing little exercises. You are supposed to play a page "prima vista" for your teacher at your weekly lesson, then you practice that page during the next week. Boy am I bad at this. Hopefully I'll get better.

Dukeofhesse. Amazing Grace really wasn't too bad after The Entertainer. But it took me a couple of three weeks to get it down to a level where I could record it. I haven't played it in awhile, so its mostly gone. I should practice it somemore and get it in my repitore.

Does anyone know of any application (preferably free) which you can use to do sight reading using your own musical keyboard, not a virtual one? Years ago, I did buy such a program, and it was quite good, as you just look at the screen and play the notes directly on the keyboard. There is one that does the same using your computer keyboard keys, which is ugly.

Thanks for the response and link. I think you made a good decision to look for a new teacher; hopefully your current one will be understanding. Please keep us up to date with your search

wj3

Thanks for your response. A huge aspect of sight reading is interval recognition, so that book sounds really helpful. I may ask my instructor what she thinks about it. Don't worry about not being great at sight reading; I am just terrible at it right now. Hopefully we'll both improve as we practice.

Hi Everyone,I have just finished Book 1 and will be starting Book 2 next week. I know a few people from the Book 1 thread and will try to back read this thread to see who all is here and what they are working on.

Welcome Carl.... Really glad to have you join us here.... Like I said over in the book 1 thread, Ive been kind of stalled in book two. We had a family crisis for the last two weeks but things are finally settling down now. I have been working on Guantamera and the Theme from Raymond. So maybe we can join forces and try to get through the book togeather.......

Hi wj3Thanks for the welcome, glad to be here.I have my AIO book two/cd ordered and should be here next week. I have the Basic Adult Book two and was thumbing though it today. I also have the Basic Theory level two which I will be using as well. My sight reading is improving and I am no longer writing in the names of all of the notes on paper (such a pain & messy). That was a terrible habit to get in to."Down in the Vally" first up... more broken chords.

Welcome Carl.... Really glad to have you join us here.... Like I said over in the book 1 thread, Ive been kind of stalled in book two. We had a family crisis for the last two weeks but things are finally settling down now. I have been working on Guantamera and the Theme from Raymond. So maybe we can join forces and try to get through the book togeather.......

I really like that Theme from Raymond but I'm not too fussed on Guantanamera. I'm playing ot Ok but the song never appealed to me. I find that the songs I like are the ones I play best. I wonder if others find this too? I hated playing Amazing Grace from the first book.

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Behind every successful woman is some twit who's lost the remote....

Just remember that learning is a process and you have to take the good and the bad with it. Guantanamera is really a fun song to play once you feel it and feel comfortable playing it. With it you learn how the melody melts into the base in a nice way as in the 4th measure. Also, there is a nice chord segment where both hands play the same chords... all sound good and fun to play. Check the link in my profile where I did a crude recording of it, and also hear how others play it.

Just remember that learning is a process and you have to take the good and the bad with it. Guantanamera is really a fun song to play once you feel it and feel comfortable playing it. With it you learn how the melody melts into the base in a nice way as in the 4th measure. Also, there is a nice chord segment where both hands play the same chords... all sound good and fun to play. Check the link in my profile where I did a crude recording of it, and also hear how others play it.

I absolutely agree and it's only because I'm pig-headed that I'll sit at the keybard and try to 'perfect' a piece that I'm not overly fussed on simply because I know I have to. I must go back and try my luck again with Amazing Grace and Singing in the Rain. Aaarrggghhh

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Behind every successful woman is some twit who's lost the remote....

I've found that my sight-reading is starting to finally develop but I have to resist the urge to look at the keys. I figured that if I can touch-type, then I should be able to 'touch play'! It's frustrating, but I reckon I can't really move on until I get that right. More aaarrrghhh!

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Behind every successful woman is some twit who's lost the remote....